Nationwide Program is Based on a Similar Model Created in America’s
Heartland to Prepare Students for High-Demand Technology Jobs

Jane Oates, Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training at the
U.S. Department of Labor,Stresses Importance of STEM Education
and Industry, Academic, Government Partnerships During Keynote at
Siemens PLM Connection Users Conference

PLANO, Texas — (BUSINESS WIRE) — May 21, 2012 —
Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation
Division and a leading global provider of product lifecycle management
(PLM) software and services, announces a new community college best
practice program to enhance the effort to revitalize manufacturing
throughout the United States. The program, developed in conjunction with
Iowa Western Community College (IWCC), provides resources to interested
community colleges and local manufacturers including a recommended
associate’s degree curriculum, a guide for obtaining in-kind software
grants to provide the technology needed for implementation, and a
detailed white paper, titled
Community
Colleges Revitalize Manufacturing, outlining the process for
building a successful academic, government and business partnership for
the program’s execution.

It is estimated that within five to 15 years the retirement of skilled
baby boomers will create a workforce shortage of 10 million additional
workers by 2020. Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) job
growth is projected to rise at twice the rate of the economy by 2018.
The shortage of engineers in 2010 totaled 750,000 worldwide. With this
in mind, manufacturers are finding it increasingly difficult to fill
open positions with individuals who have advanced technology skills.

Jane Oates, assistant secretary for employment and training at the U.S.
Department of Labor, stressed the importance of partnerships and the
critical need for STEM education in her keynote address at the
2012
Siemens PLM Connection Americas User Conference earlier this month.

“Strong partnerships between employers, training providers, and all
levels of government are crucial to ensure our workforce has the skills
and experience to remain a global manufacturing leader,” said Oates. “By
focusing attention on specific training needs in areas like data
management and high-tech manufacturing, these partnerships are helping
community colleges expand into community career centers -- places that
teach people skills that businesses are looking for right now -- and
that’s a model the President and I fully support.” (President Obama
referenced this topic during his
2012
State of the Union address.)

Siemens PLM Software and Iowa Western Community College

In February 2011, Siemens PLM Software announced the
largest
in-kind corporate contribution ever received by IWCC that enabled
the college to successfully launch a design technology program. The
program prepares graduates to enter the workforce in a high-demand
career field or transfer to a four-year institution to complete a
bachelor’s degree.

Through the successful IWCC and Siemens PLM Software partnership, the
new community college best practice program has been implemented. The
program provides a two-year, fast-track curriculum, developed by an
advisory board of academia and industry, with an emphasis on upgrading
incumbent worker skills as well as training dislocated and
minority-categorized workers. The curriculum introduces individuals to
product design and development software technology used by many of the
world’s leading manufacturing, architectural and construction companies.

“Now community colleges around the nation have a proven blueprint to
meet the needs of local employers and prepare local students for
high-paying careers in design technology,” said Dr. Dan Kinney,
president, IWCC.

“As the baby boom generation retires and product complexity continues to
grow, students who are able to use PLM technology are expected to be
highly recruited,” said Bill Boswell, senior director, Partner Strategy,
Siemens PLM Software. “We are delighted to have had Assistant Secretary
Oates present with us at our Americas User Conference to reinforce the
need for STEM education and the importance of practical industry,
academic, government partnerships.”

Siemens PLM Software’s Global Opportunities in PLM (
GO
PLM™ initiative) leads the industry in the commercial value of the
in-kind grants it provides and brings together four complementary
community involvement programs focused on academic partnership, regional
productivity, youth and displaced worker development and the PACE
(Partners for the Advancement of Collaborative Engineering Education)
program. GO PLM provides PLM technology to more than one million
students yearly at more than 11,000 global institutions, where it is
used at every academic level – from grade schools to graduate
engineering research programs. For more information on GO PLM and the
partners and programs it supports visit
www.siemens.com/partners/goplm.

About Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software, a business unit of the Siemens Industry Automation
Division, is a leading global provider of product lifecycle management
(PLM) software and services with 7 million licensed seats and more than
71,000 customers worldwide. Headquartered in Plano, Texas, Siemens PLM
Software works collaboratively with companies, delivering open solutions
to help them make smarter decisions that result in better products. For
more information on Siemens PLM Software products and services, visit
www.siemens.com/plm .